De-stress NOW and Enjoy the Holidays

Another client just called me and asked if I could forgive her if she canceled late and not be charged. (I have a 48-hour cancellation policy). She is plowed under with a lot of Christmas cards to get out. I felt like being generous so I let her off the hook. She released a sigh of relief.

This is a common scenario and many of you reading this can relate. My wife and I went to REI because I needed a quick bike repair yesterday and the mall was crazy. People were racing to parking spots in their cars and there were less spots than cars. It was like an automobile game of musical chairs. Maybe next year at around October, I will write an article about pacing yourself for the holidays. There is a human tendency to procrastinate and then stress out around the holidays trying to get things done. But that is for another year. It is too late for that!

So, if you find yourself stressed and harried right now, take a deep breath and exhale all the way out. Decide that inner peace is more important than anything in THIS moment. Be patient and get one thing done at a time; that is all anyone can really do. Don’t believe the thought- “There is not enough time.” If that thought is running you right now, you are unnecessarily stressed. Have you had that thought before? I am sure you have. And you survived all those times where you thought there was not enough time. It all works out even if you forget the dip for your family get-together.

Make peace more important; more important than getting everyone the perfect gift; more important than having the house perfectly clean, more important than anything. Being calm will not make your situation any worse. It could make it far better since a calm mind can be a resourceful mind. I love the title of the book- “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” with a subtitle that reads- “And It’s All Small Stuff.”

So don’t sweat the small stuff, do some conscious breathing and enjoy the holidays. You deserve it!